Two former winners among six Booker Prize finalists

The six shortlisted novels for the 2026 Booker Prize include new books by two previous winners, Marlon James and Douglas Stuart. The £50,000 prize winner will be announced in London on Monday evening, with the ceremony broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s *Front Row*.

James is shortlisted for *The Disappearers*, while Stuart’s nominated novel is *John of John*. The other contenders are M John Harrison’s *The End of Everything*, Luke Kennard’s *Black Bag*, Rebecca Perry’s *May We Feed the King* and Elizabeth Strout’s *The Things We Never Say*.

James won the prize in 2015 for *A Brief History of Seven Killings*; Stuart won in 2020 for *Shuggie Bain*. Perry’s shortlisted book is her debut novel. Harrison, 81, would be the oldest-ever winner if he takes the prize.

The judges selected the six from a 13-book longlist announced in July. Dame Mary Beard, who chaired the panel, said choosing the shortlist had been “hard work”. Fellow judge Raymond Antrobus described the process as “a tussle”, while Patricia Lockwood said she had been more forceful in discussions than she expected.

The judges said the final books share a willingness to take risks. Jarvis Cocker, another member of the panel, compared the group’s work to making music in a band: the result, he said, comes from combining different contributions.